Sa ehn Aravas Hanal'ghilan

By: Ryu Katanna

Beta:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Two

Harry didn't know what to say as his mind swam to find an answer that wouldn't make him sound crazy; so opted for silence. He knew he looked to be a child now and decided he would use that to his advantage. Curling into himself further, Harry pushed himself into the side of his animal companion and shook his head in answer. His animal companion shifted against him before slowly starting to rise to its feet.

Harry worried for a moment that he would be left alone with these strangers. It didn't take long to assuage that fear as the deer-like animal stayed with him; stepping between him and the pair to allow Harry to hide for a moment. There was a huffing noise in his ear as his hair was ruffled by a cold snout. Harry smiled before feeling the gentle nudge toward the older male. His attention was drawn back to them to notice her expression had gentled as she now held her hand out to him.

"It's alright, da'len. Come here. You can come with us back to our clan's camp. We'll get you cleaned up. Master Ilen may have some clothing that will fit you. It's alright." She said soothingly as Harry kept ahold of his animal companion's fur.

Harry knew logically that he would have to go with them. The deer-like animal seemed to want him to, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving its presence. He knew he would have to go though. He didn't know how to survive out in the wilderness alone in this strange place. He was without a wand to defend himself or clothing to keep away the cold. Not to mention he wasn't physically much bigger than a small nine-year-old; if that. He needed help. More help than his animal companion could provide; no matter how intelligent she seemed to be.

"It's alright, da'len. Hanal'ghilan can come too." The man said soothingly as he waited patiently and watched him carefully.

"Hanal'ghilan?" Harry asked hesitantly, almost wincing at how young his voice sounded as he looked from him to the animal next to himself, and saw him smile kindly when he finally responded to one of them.

"Yes, da'len. She is a halla, but she is a very special halla. Do you see her golden horns and coat? Other halla do not have golden horns nor a pelt like she does. There is a legend about such a halla among the People. She is called Hanal'ghilan. She is the pathfinder. A halla who guides the People in times of need." He explained gently seeing that he had caught the child's interest, and the woman stepped back to give them a bit of space since the child seemed more comfortable speaking to her companion.

"Pathfinder? She... she found me in the dark. Brought me here." Harry replied as he absorbed the information.

He had never heard of a halla before. It was the last piece of information he needed to let him know he was right in keeping quiet about his past and what had happened to him. He would have to be careful, but there was a reason the hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin back in his first year. He could keep secrets. He could lie if it meant keeping himself safe from those who would hurt him for being different. He had learned a lot under the tender mercies of the Dursleys.

"We are not too far from where our clan has made camp. She may have been leading you to us so you could be found." The woman said with a tone of voice that could be something like awe.

"Hanal'ghilan?" Harry asked looking back to the halla in question only to be made to stand so that he could stay with her as she moved them closer to the man.

He knew an answer when he received one. The halla had indeed led him there on purpose. Now she was trying to get him to move closer to these strangers. Strangers who could help him. The only problem was that Harry didn't want to go alone. He had felt safe with the halla from the moment he had seen her.

"Stay with me?" He asked the halla quietly with some embarrassment as he was fully exposed to their eyesight.

He received a response by having his hair ruffled by a cold snout once again before his cheek was nuzzled affectionately. He smiled at the reassurance before peeking over at the adults to see the woman smiling softly at him before looking at the man as he spoke again.

"Ashalle, if you would, run ahead back to camp and inform the Keeper we are on our way." The man said with a glance over at the woman.

"Of course, Hahren. I will see you both at camp." The woman, Ashalle, replied with a soft smile toward the child before she turned back to make her way through the trees.

"Come, da'len. You must be cold with nothing to cover you." The man said as he stepped closer and pulled off his own shirt to put on the child.

"Hanal'ghilan is warm." Harry responded as the man slowly started to pull the shirt down over his head.

"It's alright. My name is Vinell, and the one who just left was Ashalle. We won't hurt you. Let me just get this on you so you don't have to feel shy in front of the rest of the clan." The man, Vinell, said kindly with a reassuring smile as the cloth fell over Harry's head and fell down to hang slightly passed his knees.

Harry frowned at this and shifted uncomfortably. It just reminded him about how his body had changed. Harry was almost sixteen, even if his body didn't look it now, and it left him feeling a little uneasy at how vulnerable he really was in this unfamiliar place. Even so, he let Vinell continue with what he was doing as he used what looked to be twine to secure the shirt around his waist and adjust the collar so it didn't fall off his thin shoulders. Finally, he stepped back to give Harry some room with a small smile.

Vinell stood up and held out his hand, but Harry just shook his head and pressed himself into Hanal'ghilan's side. He received a smile and a small nod in acknowledgment from him in return. Vinell watched in surprise and no small amount of awe as the child turned to the halla and stared up with pleading eyes. He hadn't said a word, and yet the halla seemed to know what he wanted as she knelt down and helped him unto her back before standing back up once he'd gotten adjusted. Vinell smiled softly to the child as green eyes looked at him unsurely before leading the way back to camp with one eye on the child to make sure he could catch him if he were to fall.

Harry appreciated the halla's help at that moment as, though he wasn't hurting as badly as when he first woke up the day before, he was still a little sore and was adjusting to the difference in the length of his strides when he walked. He also didn't feel comfortable having someone who was still a stranger carry him or hold his hand. He knew he may look like a young child, but mentally he was still a teenager. A teenager who had always had to do for himself, and so didn't know how to accept help. Even so, he needed help and he knew it. If he had to act like a child to get their sympathy, then he would do so.

"Not much longer now. The Keeper will know we are coming. You'll have a home with us if you've none, I'm sure." Vinell said gently as if trying to reassure the child, and Harry couldn't help biting his tongue as he knew that was likely what he was trying to do.

Harry said nothing. He doubted Vinell's words. No one had really wanted him before. Ever since his parents died. His Aunt and Uncle surely had never wanted him.

He doubted even Sirius had really wanted him.

That was something he'd had time to think about as he stumbled through the forest the night before. How his godfather had called him James. He didn't want to think it, as it hurt too much, but it made him doubt if the man had ever truly seen him for himself and not his father. It had been one of the things the man had commented on the first day they had really spoken to each other. How much he looked like the father he couldn't even remember.

He started to realize that his friends and the rest of the Wizarding World only wanted things from him. He had learned that well enough since his first year. If he didn't do what they wanted, if he act like they expected him to, they all shunned him. The events during his second year as well as the last two years had proven that to be the truth. Ron had even turned his back on him the year before when his name had come out of the fire. Even Hermione had distanced herself during that time.

No, he was alone now as he always had been when the people around him showed their true colors.

He couldn't allow himself to get his hopes up when history had taught him so very differently so many times before. The only thing he could hope for was that this Keeper would at least be willing to help. He didn't have any clues on how to get back to Hogwarts. If it was even possible. He couldn't even explain the changes to his own body. All he remembered was going through the archway after Sirius and then seeing nothing but green before his vision faded.

He had glimpsed his reflection in the stream the night before even as he had tried not to look. He'd seen that none of the scars he'd gained over the years were there. The lightning bolt on his forehead was gone. No sign that it had even been there. The same held true for the scar that had run from his wrist to his elbow from Voldemort's resurrection, the 'I must not tell lies' on his hand, the scar from the basilisk bite, and the scars from the Dursleys were also gone.

His hair was longer, falling around shoulders too thin and narrow for a human with loose curls, the dark brown strands now darkened to a deep black. His eyes were still green, but now were a darker emerald color rather than the light green he had always known them to be. The shape of his face remained, but his eyes looked bigger; his cheekbones higher. Then there were his pointed ears, and the fact that he had literally shrunk in the time he'd been unconscious. It had been like looking at a stranger. There was no explanation that he could come up with to explain it.

Still a little unsure if he was making the right decision, Harry grasped the fur of his companion nervously as they came to an opening at the edge of the forest. More people were scattered throughout the area. Most stopped at the sight of them entering the camp. Harry could hear the whispers of those around him. Most were curious but didn't appear to be outright welcoming. He found himself and Hanal'ghilan guided by Vinell to an older woman with hair whitened from age and markings on her face more intricate than he had seen on Ashalle, Vinell, or any of the others they had passed. He could make out her pointed ears clearly from where the white strands had been pulled back as they stopped a few feet from her.

"Vinell. What a curious sight you bring into our camp." The wizened eyes of the Keeper moved between Harry and the halla he hadn't let go of as Hanal'ghilan lowered herself so the child could slide off her back.

"I'm sorry to disrupt you if you are busy this morn, Keeper. This is the child Ashalle and I found in the clearing just outside of our camp. As he travels with Hanal'ghilan, and when we saw no sign of there being anyone with an elfling so young, we decided it would be best to bring him to you." Vinell explained softly as the older woman smiled gently.

"You have done the right thing bringing him back with you. He is far too young to be left on his own. The Arbor Wilds are dangerous enough to an adult wandering alone. Andaran atish'an child. Now, what is your name, and how come you to be so close to our camp? Where are your parents?" Keeper Marethari's soft expression as she spoke helped Harry to calm down a bit as he replied.

"I woke in the forest yesterday. I don't know how I got there. Hanal'ghilan found me, and she took me to the clearing. I don't have parents." Harry answered as he avoided telling her his name; fidgeting with the cloth of Vinell's tunic with one hand and petting where he could reach the halla's shoulder.

Was it even his name now? Harry Potter was the name of a fifteen-year-old wizard. A teen with dark brown hair, light green eyes, and rounded ears. A wizard who looked like his parents who had died when he was only a year old. None of which was true anymore. It left him at a loss. Harry was his name, but somehow the thought chaffed. Like trying to fit into someone else's skin.

"You say she brought you to where Vinell and Ashalle found you?" Keeper Marethari asked softly even as Harry knew she had noticed how he hadn't told her his name as well as the fact that he didn't speak like a young child.

"Yes ma'am." Harry said with a slight hint of awe in his voice as he looked to the halla standing beside him and still offering comfort as she nuzzled through his hair; shifting the strands to expose his ears.

Keeper Marethari's gaze turned contemplative as she took in the sight before her. Here comes before her Hanal'ghilan leading a child to them. She could tell from looking at him that something had happened to him. His black hair looked like a crow had nested in it, the curls tangled and dirty, and his skin was covered in shallow cuts and dirt. He wore only the borrowed shirt from Vinell; having been found completely nude. She could see no other wounds or scats on him. The child was small and so skinny she could tell he could not have been eating much even before he was found. She also had a strong impression that this child was to be a strong mage when he was grown. She could already feel his magic buzzing along her senses. Even with that, Keeper Marethari sensed something else from the child. It wasn't anything she could explain to another.

She just knew there was something… different about this child. It was like the fade lingered around him. Like the veil ceased to exist so close to the boy's skin. It was as if the fade was a part of him, or he was a part of the fade. Yet she didn't know how that could be possible. She was sure this child was no spirit of demon given form.

He also seemed to be incredibly intelligent for his age. She had never known a child so young to speak as well as he did. That he had also survived on his own for even a day in the Arbor Wilds also told her he must be. There was a maturity about him, but the vulnerability that came with children was also there. The way he avoided her eyes and appeared very self-sufficient also told her enough about his history to know that he could not have been well treated wherever it was he had come from.

Knowing that it was Hanal'ghilan that had led the boy to the outskirts of their camp she could only think that his presence there must be the will of the Creators. For one such as Hanal'ghilan to appear before them with the child; it had to be the will of Ghilan'nain for him to be among them. To send one of her chosen to lead him here and away from the dangers of the forest... the Creators must have a plan for this child. She did not know what it was, but as a servant to her gods, she could not turn this child away and cast him back out into the wilds. Looking to Ashalle and Vinell, Keeper Marethari whispered quietly as she watched the child interact with the halla.

"Ashalle, go to Master Ilen and see if he might have something for the boy to wear. Vinell, if you would retrieve a salve for his cuts from the aravel. Meet us at the stream. We will get him cleaned and any wounds treated. Then he will be introduced to the rest of the clan." Keeper Marethari instructed knowing that Ashalle would have gotten some idea of his size.

"Yes, Keeper." Ashalle responded before walking away quickly.

"Keeper, if I may speak to you alone about the child's placement later?" Vinell asked softly so as not to be heard by little ears.

"You are sure?" Keeper Marethari paused as she looked at him in surprise; having some idea as to why he wished to speak to her.

"I may not be as young as I once was, but…" Vinell replied; not able to put into words what he felt when interacting with the child.

"I understand. I will speak to you more on this matter later." Marethari said with a small nod as she glanced back at the child and the halla.

"Thank you, Keeper. I'll be right back with that salve. I'll also see about something to break his fast. He must be starving by now." Vinell replied before leaving to take care of those two things with a final glance at the foundling.

"Come child." Marethari said as she held out her hand; smiling when Hanal'ghilan pushed the boy gently to her when he hesitated to take it.

Harry took her hand unsurely. Even as a small child he had never held hands with an adult for any reason. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had always avoided any physical contact; not wanting to be contaminated by his freakishness. The only contact with them he could remember was out of anger on their part. Still, he didn't want this woman to change her mind. She seemed to have decided he could stay, and for that, he would do as she wished. If she wanted him to take her hand, then he would do so.

Marethari paused for only a second as the child took her offered hand before she led him slowly over to the stream to wash up. She knew right away that her senses had been correct. This child was different in a way she could not yet understand. He was a mage, and he would be a powerful one. She could feel it. This child, this foundling, would need her guidance in the time to come.

She could hear the whispers of coming change in the air.

"Let us get you cleaned up and into clothing that fits you first. Be at ease, foundling. You are safe with your People now." Marethari said softly as they stopped by the side of the stream, and she looked down into the green eyes looking back at her.

"Foundling?" Harry asked not recognizing the word but having an idea what it might mean.

"You think I did not notice you would not give me your name? Foundling is a general term, but with no name to address you…" Marethari replied only for the boy to flush as he stammered a bit in answer.

"I... I have a name. Well, I had a name. I just don't know if that is truly mine anymore. I was... changed when I woke in the forest." Harry said as he released her hand to look at his reflection in the water.

"That name doesn't feel... right. Like it doesn't belong to me anymore." He told her sadly as he looked at the changes to his appearance again before looking back at her.

Keeper Marethari looked at him for a long moment as her head tilted. Her eyes slid closed and she looked as if she were listening to something. Slowly, her eyes opened once more and she gazed at Hanal'ghilan who had still not wandered far from the boy at all. She had followed them and had been keeping a watchful eye on the child. Then her eyes turned back to him, and a soft smile graced her lips as her hand raised to tilt his face up to hers with two fingers under his chin.

"Yes, Himsulem is the name for you." She spoke with complete confidence and Harry's eyes widened.

"Himsulem? What does it mean?" He asked at seeing the gentle look in her eyes; a look he couldn't remember ever having been directed at him.

"Himsulem means he who brings change."

123456

That's it for chapter two. To those who have read The Other Hawke, you no doubt already noticed big changes. To those who haven't, I hope you're enjoying this. Progress on this is slow due to other works, but I'll try to get the next chapter posted soon. Anyway, not much else to say so I'll leave it here.

Until next the next chapter!

~Ryu

Translations found on various sites. Some may not be entirely correct, but it was as close as I could get without just making things up.

Hanal'ghilan: Golden halla that is a legend among the Dalish

Ghilan'nain: One of the Creators. The Mother of the Halla

Da'len: little child, or "little one"

Himsulem: He who brings (will bring) change

Aravel: Dalish landship

Andaran atish'an: Enter this place in peace. A formal elven greeting. Literally: "I dwell in this place, a place of peace."